A comparative study of sex knowledge among hearing and deaf college freshmen

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to obtain empirical evidence regarding the knowledge of sex information among samples of hearing and deaf college freshmen. The study was designed to determine whether there are disparities in sex knowledge between hearing college freshmen at the University of Maryland (n=75) and Loyola College in Baltimore (n=128), a total hearing population tested of N=203, and deaf college freshmen at Gallaudet University (n=38). The Sex Knowledge Inventory (SKI), an instrument previously developed and tested by the researcher to measure knowledge of sex information. Additionally, the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT), Knowledge portion, was used in assessment and comparison to determine the reliability of the SKI. Findings of this research support the SKI as a valid instrument for assessing sex knowledge in both hearing and deaf populations. Additionally, the data collected demonstrate that deaf college freshmen lag behind hearing college freshmen in nearly every aspect of sex knowledge examined.

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